


You Are In Love

by gxldentrio



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Driving, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26162911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gxldentrio/pseuds/gxldentrio
Summary: Katara never thought the Fire Nation could feel like home, but here with him, driving the night away, it does.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 126





	You Are In Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daholdi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daholdi/gifts), [snapslikethis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapslikethis/gifts).



> I don't know where this falls in the AU to canon divergence spectrum, but to be honest I've been staring at this google doc for days and this is all that's coming out. My real life has gotten me in my feelings lately and I refuse to apologise for how sappy it is. Enjoy.
> 
> PS: Gifting this to @daholdi here on ao3 because she wrote a fantastic texting AU and I'm still not over it AND to my babe linds because it's her birthday soon and I love her very much.

Katara isn’t sure how it started.

Actually, she remembers the first time. They were sitting by the fountain in Ursa’s garden, feeding the turtleducks, when Zuko looked at her and held out his hand. Like two kids, they all but ran to Zuko’s car, a shiny red thing with plush leather seats and fuzzy dice hanging off the rearview mirror.

At that moment, it didn’t matter that her mother was dead, or that she hadn’t seen her father in months, or even that all her friends had left. She was just a twenty year old girl, hair whipping in the wind, and it was _fun_. The world had made her grow up way too fast, a little girl playing woman, mother, caretaker. She hadn’t really had fun in a long time.

What she doesn’t remember is when these little drives became something so completely integral to her life, a balm to her soul. Whenever Katara’s emotions explode all around her, Zuko is the one driving the getaway car. He never complains, and he always seems to know exactly what she needs. Sometimes it’s serene and sometimes it’s electrifying, but it is _always_ the best part of Katara’s day. Belting out the lyrics to whatever song comes on the radio, they are the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady, zipping through the roads of Caldera. She never wants to stop feeling like this.

It always starts the same. It doesn’t really matter what situation they’re in, when Zuko looks at her, when he gives her that smile she knows is reserved just for her, she knows. Every time, they go a little further. Every time, they end up somewhere different. If it’s cold outside, they stop at this rundown roadside dinner and Zuko buys them coffee. It’s quiet in a way she can’t experience anywhere else, but it’s also exciting. There's a thrum of electricity coursing through her veins and her eyes are wide open. It feels like the first dip in the ocean of the summer, the first rain after a drought. She feels alive.

Katara likes it best when it’s raining. Fat water droplets coming down so hard they almost shatter the windshield, the sound of thunder over their heads. If the storm gets particularly ferocious, they park the car and just sit there until it eases up. They don’t always talk, but Katara loves it when they do.

Zuko probably thinks she's crazy, but out in the rain Katara feels completely in her element, grounded in a way she can’t really explain. He sighs when she gets out of the car, outstretched arms, twirling in the rain. It doesn’t take long to get her completely soaked. It’s a testament to his character that he climbs out after her, umbrella in hand. Katara takes his hand and the two of them just stand there for a while—he’s so warm.

Zuko probably thinks she’s crazy, but sometimes Katara just doesn’t want to think about the consequences. She doesn’t want to think about everything she’s hiding; from him, from her friends, from herself.

The drive back home is always bittersweet. 

The weeks drag on, melting into months, and though it’s gotten better with time, there’s still a darkness around Katara’s heart that she can’t completely ignore yet. 

She gets in Zuko's car. This time he lets her drive.

Katara isn’t used to it, but she’s adaptable and a fast learner, and quickly gets the hang of it. Besides, there never seem to be many cars around when they go for midnight drives like this one, and so she figures the risk is pretty low.

After a while, they stop at a lookout point overlooking the city. She climbs out of the car and leans on the hood, and after a while, Zuko follows. They point out the different constellations, trading stories back and forth. Their shoulders brush and Katara shivers, but before she can even react, there’s a coat around her shoulders. Zuko clears his throat, turns to her, and she feels impossibly warm. Looking at him, Katara really wants to kiss him. Instead, she looks back up, flushed cheeks hidden by the darkness.

Somewhere along all those drives, she falls in love with him. And sometimes, Katara swears Zuko loves her back.

She goes back home for the holidays. The South Pole is cold and bright and smells of salt. Katara knew she missed it, but she didn't know she missed it this much. Her brother gives her a tour of the village, and Katara is shocked at how different it looks from the last time she was here. Instead of igloos and tents there are beautiful icy buildings, stretching up towards the sky. There are bridges and a port and ornate fountains. The market is at least twice as big as it used to be. Her town is flourishing, and Katara feels ashamed for having been away for so long. That night, she cries herself to sleep as she hugs her favourite otter penguin plushie.

There are no roads in the South Pole. Not like the ones in Caldera anyway, open and wide, the asphalt smooth under the tires. Here they are more beat up, muddy slick from the snow, well-travelled but narrow. 

Katara tries her hand at driving her father’s truck, and it’s _liberating_ but it is also not the same.

One night, Katara looks up at the sky, surprised to see the same constellations she did back in the Fire Nation. There’s not as much light here, and so the stars look even brighter. There’s the Water Bearer, and the Sea Goat and the North Star, but Katara’s favourite is Cepheus, the King. When Katara closes her eyes, she sees rain and red and _him._

They say home is a place, but Katara wonders if it can be a person, too.

Coming back to the Fire Nation is always an adjustment. 

The minute she steps off the ship, her clothes stick to her body. The air is hotter and thicker, and the humidity makes Katara’s curls frizz out. Zuko meets her at the berth and she can’t help throwing herself into his arms. Like always, he catches her. There’s a sharp intake of breath and Katara burrows her nose in Zuko’s neck, fingers tangled in his hair. He smells of leather and cinnamon and something spicy. He smells like home.

At night it’s much cooler. It never ceases to amaze Katara just how drastic the differences are between the days and nights in the Fire Nation - in the South Pole it’s cold and dry all of the time. 

Still, it’s much hotter in Caldera than it was inside the ship, and Katara finds her outfit unsuitable for the weather. She takes her time getting ready, and after a long fire lily-scented shower, puts on something new. Looking in the mirror, Katara never expected she’d miss the red this much. Deep inside, Katara thinks maybe she knows she would.

They’re in the car now. 

Now, she turns her head and takes a proper look at him. Hands wrapped around the stick shift, face illuminated by the streetlights. Even his scar doesn’t look as harsh.

She can’t look away.

They remember some of Sokka’s worst jokes and while Katara rolls her eyes, Zuko can’t help but cackle. His laugh echoes down the highway and to Katara’s ears, it’s bliss. She never thought the Fire Nation could feel like home, but here with him, it does.

Zuko lifts one hand to brush hair off his forehead, and she really wants to kiss him. And so she does.


End file.
